Enticing the World into a New Reality

Compelling content from HTC when there is no road map

Words like “innovation” and “revolutionary” get thrown around a lot in technology, but every once in a while a product or movement comes along that deserves the hype, that has the ability to change things on a massive scale. HTC Vive, a new virtual reality system created through a partnership between HTC and Valve, is just that. Although HTC Vive isn’t the first on the virtual reality scene, its improvements in the technology, including a 90 frame-per-second frame rate and exterior motion sensors, are transforming VR from a novelty into a truly immersive experience. And its potential is massive.

Operating in the hyper-competitive, media-scrutinized arena of virtual reality, HTC and Valve understood how important it was to unveil their new technology the right way. That first experience people would have with the product had the potential to resonate and turn users into evangelists. However, because virtual reality is still in its infancy, there were few agencies with the knowledge and experience to help HTC and Valve create a demo for their product.

An unexplored design discipline

HTC knew that POP had been experimenting in the world of virtual reality and was impressed with their work. HTC tapped them to create an intro and outro for their demo, which was to be unveiled to select journalists and influencers at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. The demo itself, a series of short games, was to be designed by several independent developers.

“We’ve been obsessed with VR from the beginning,” said Dave Curry, VP, Emerging Trends and Technology at POP, “and we were thrilled to design the intro of what we think is a huge step forward in virtual reality. The latest incarnation of VR is going to allow us to do incredible things in a whole host of venues. Businesses should take notice.”

There was a lot riding on the intro POP was asked to design. It not only introduced users to a new way of physically experiencing a game; the intro became a portal into the various realistic and fantastic demo worlds the audience would enter. And it would be seen by many of the most prominent tech and media influencers — the very people who could make or break the launch of the new system.

“The VR space is an unexplored design discipline, so we had to ask a lot of questions and challenge assumptions about even basic usability. POP helped us experiment with new motions, sounds and interactions. And their ability to quickly prototype in VR enabled us to explore a range of concepts and reach an impossible deadline,” said Jonathan Faunce, Creative Director at HTC.

A demo that moved

Developed in Unity, the HTC Vive intro and outro transported the user into a world of undulating hexagonal pillars that allowed the user to get their VR sea legs — looking up, down and moving around. That last part was especially important, because virtual reality up to this point had primarily been stationary, but the HTC Vive had external sensors positioned in the room that enabled the user to commit to a full range of movement: leaning, squatting, walking — whatever the moment called for. Additionally, POP developed unique custom scripts for HTC Vive that allowed it to run at 90 frames-per-second, so users were able to immerse themselves without the lag and glitches that typically take people out of the VR experience (or make them nauseous).

The reaction to HTC Vive and the demo was phenomenal. Popular Science put HTC Vive at the top of its list of “The 100 Greatest Innovations of 2015.” Daniel Howley, a tech reporter for Yahoo wrote, ‘I used HTC and Valve’s virtual reality headset and basically had a religious experience.” Engadget’s Nicole Lee said, “HTC’s Vive made me believe in VR.”

HTC Vive is slated for commercial release in April 2016, and the hope is that this will be the beginning of a new age in storytelling — as well as advertising.